This Metabolic Conditioning Tabata Workout Will Challenge Your High-Intensity Threshold
This program is designed to challenge your high-intensity capacity. Following the Tabata protocol (20 seconds of work, with 10 seconds of rest repeated for 10 rounds), try to complete as many rounds as you can. This program is a steady state program and is designed to target your maximum heart rate and keep you near maximal heart rate for an extended period of time. The movements are fast. You will be changing direction and levels, moving from the ground to overhead with and without weights.
Please note that this is not an interval training program since you will not get complete rest to lower your heart rate. In fact, after your heart rate gets over your threshold (when you can’t speak normally and when you start to feel your chest swell and your heart pumping very fast) the goal is to keep it like this for the entire 10 rounds. That is 5 minutes of high-intensity work. If you can get through three rounds with a brief 2-minute break in between each 5-minute cycle, you are a champion.
Warm-Up
- Lie on your stomach with your hands on the floor under your shoulders.
- Push yourself up off of the floor and take a step forward.
- Plant your other foot into the ground and stand up.
- Reverse the sequence and lower to the ground slowly. Repeat with your other leg. Do 20 reps.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Jump with both feet wider than shoulder-width and sweep your hands out to your sides and up overhead.
- Reverse the motion, jumping your feet together and sweeping your arms back down to your sides. Continue jumping.
- Repeat for 60 seconds.
- Assume an athletic-ready position with your feet wider than your hips, knees bent.
- Shuffle your feet to the right for 5 yards then back to the left for 5 yards.
- Keep your back straight and knees soft throughout the movement.
- Keep changing directions for 60 seconds.
- Start in a seated position.
- Get up any way that you can, but get up as fast as you can without using your hands, if possible.
- Reverse the exact sequence on the way down as you did on the way up.
- Continue for 60 seconds.
Tabata Protocol
Work for 20 seconds work, rest for 10 seconds. Repeat as many times as possible—up to 10 rounds.
- Hold dumbbells in your hands at your sides. Your feet should be wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Sit your hips back and down as you bend your knees to squat. Keep your chest lifted.
- Drive through your heels to stand.
- Repeat as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
- Lie on your stomach on the floor with your hands planted outside your shoulders. Keep your body long and strong as you press up off of the floor.
- Lower yourself to your starting position as fast as you can.
- Repeat as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
- Start in an athletic ready position, knees bent and feet wider than hips, with a medicine ball in your hands.
- Lift the ball up and over your head as though you are painting a rainbow.
- Chop the ball down toward your right knee. Bend at the ankles, knees and hips as you chop.
- Then arc the ball up and over your head as you stand and rotate to the left. Chop to the opposite side.
- Repeat as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
- Hold a medicine ball close to your chest.
- Perform the shuffle exercise as you did in the warm-up, adding an explosive chest press at the same time.
- Be quick pushing out and pulling in and shuffle as fast as you can.
- Repeat as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bring your hands up like you’re holding ski poles and bend your knees in an athletic-ready stance.
- Jump side to side diagonally, using both feet to jump and both feet to land.
- Land softly like you are going across moguls on the ski slopes.
- Repeat as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in both hands.
- Keeping your feet symmetrical, swing the dumbbells forward and pull them down toward your hips, bending your knees, like you are cross-country skiing.
- Repeat as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
- Begin in an extended plank position, with arms straight, hands under shoulders and your body in a long, straight line from head to heels.
- Keeping your hands on the floor, drive your right knee in toward your right elbow.
- Quickly reverse the positions of your legs, extending your right leg until it’s straight and supported by your toes while bringing your left foot forward. You’ll feel like you are “running” in place.
- Repeat as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
- Stand tall with your hands by your sides.
- Rotate and jump to a 2 o’clock position while driving your hands across your body and up to the ceiling.
- Rotate and jump the opposite way to 10 o’clock, driving your hands across the body and up to the ceiling.
- Repeat, jumping and rotating as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
- Start in quadruped position with your shoulders directly above your wrists and your hips directly above your knees.
- Tuck your toes under and straighten your arms and legs as you push your hips back and up to the ceiling, to Down Dog.
- Engage your core and press your heels down toward the floor.
- Swing your pelvis forward and upward to lift your chest to the ceiling, bringing your shoulders away from your ears and coming onto the tops of your feet. This is Up Dog.
- Repeat, alternating between Down Dog and Up Dog as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
- Stand in a long staggered stance.
- Drop into a split squat and spring out of it, switching the position of your feet so that your front foot is back and your back foot is forward when you land.
- Let your body drop into a split squat to absorb the force of the jump, and then spring up again.
- Repeat as many times as you can in 20 seconds. Get ready for next drill in the 10-second rest period.
Cool-Down
Take a 5 minute walk. Practice breathing through your nose when you can. Immediately after the session you will be breathing very quickly and it will be hard to breathe out of your nose. To recover more quickly, bend at your waist and place your hands on your knees. Once your heart rate drops to a point where you can speak normally, go for a 5-minute walk. Engage in the following stretches after you have completed the walk.
- Stand with feet under your hips, hands at your sides.
- Hinge forward from your hips, keeping your back flat. Bend your left knee slightly and extend your right heel in front of you, keeping your right leg straight and flexing your foot so your toes point to the ceiling.
- Reach with your hands for your right foot.
- When you find tension in your right hamstring, hold the position for 20 seconds.
- Switch legs and repeat twice.
- Return to your standing position and widen your stance.
- Shift your weight to your right side, bending so that your head is over your right foot. Leave your left (trailing) foot in contact with the ground.
- Push your hips back and hold this position for 20 seconds. Keep a long spine to stretch the groin further.
- Repeat twice on both sides.
- Lie on your right side, and with your left hand, grab your left foot and bring your heel to your glute.
- Hold for 20 seconds.
- Roll onto your left side and perform the stretch with you right hand and foot.
- Repeat on both sides.
- Start on your hands and knees with your feet together and your knees apart.
- Walk your hands out in front of you and bend at your hips until your head comfortably touches the floor.
- Lower your hips toward your feet and your chest toward the floor.
- Hold the stretch. Practice breathing through your nose, inhaling for a count of 4, holding for a count of 4, and exhaling for a count of 4. Repeat for 60 seconds.
Photo credit: DragonImages, Getty Images
GIFs: Mark Kuroda, kurodastudios.com
Model: Justin Palopoli, 24 Hour Fitness